Storytelling 101: Changing Hearts | Building Power

“The Storytelling 101 Workshop showed me how my story is important and how, when it is connected to other people’s stories, it can bring real change.”

Storytelling 101: Changing Hearts | Building Power

We are a people of Good News and we are a people called to share Good News! Our ancestors did that through stories that share experiences and unearth our deepest values. Like those who have come before us, through our public storytelling we not only communicate our most cherished values but also inspire others to act through our tales of challenge and growth.

Our stories can be used: to build relationships with members of your congregation and community and to take action by writing for your local newspaper in response to urgent social justice issues, to build a deeper relationship with one’s elected officials, or in committee meetings/hearings.

How can our congregations be places of welcome for transgender and gender non-binary folks? The starting point for that journey is learning how to discuss the nuances of gender identity and sexual orientation in order to provide a strong foundation of welcome.

So, what does trans inclusion look like? This teach-in will give participants a vocabulary for of welcome and offers fresh ways to discuss gender identity and sexual orientation that look for commonalities rather than categories. In this training, we will also dive into the rich biblical foundation for trans inclusion and explore how churches have successfully made worship more welcoming. Participants will walk away with tools and tactics to make their church spaces more intentionally inclusive of trans identities.

Finally, what good is a light hidden under a bushel when people in your community live in darkness? Participants will complete the training with a great understanding of opportunities for action in the current legislative landscape offers faith-led advocates. Beyond national and state-level action, participants will also leave knowing how to implement pro-active policies and programs in their congregation.